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Patentednar. 2|, |899.

E. D. &. E. C. MEIER. HAND HOLE PLATE. (Application led Mar.l 14, 1898 .(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 2|, |899; E. D. & E. C. MEIER.

HAND HLE PLATE..

(Application filed Max'. 14, 1898.)

No. 62I,68 9.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES EDWARD D. MEIER, OF

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND EDWARD c. MEIER, on

` BALA, PENNSYLVANIA.v

HAN D-HOLE PLATE.

SPECIFICATION refining; part of Letters Patent No. 621,689, dated March 21, 1899.

Application filed March 14, 1898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD D.. MEIER, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, and EDWARD C. MEIER, residing at Bala, in the county of Montgomery and State of Penn- Sylvania, citizens of the United States, have made a certain new and useful Improvement in Hand-Hole Plates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating our improved hand -hole plate in position and ready to be clamped. Fig. 2 is an end .elevational view of the same in its clamped position. Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the same in its clamped position. Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a slight modification.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing another method of clamping the plate home. Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 5, and Figs. 7 to 11 illustrate modified forms of yoke.

This invention relates to a new and useful j improvementin hand-hole plates for boilers,

or, incre properly speaking, devices for securing hand-hole plates in position in boilers.

The object of this present invention is to construct a simple, cheap, and effective handhole plate provided with apparatus for locking the same in position in a boiler without the use of screws,nuts, or other complicated apparatus now most generally employed in connection with hand-hole plates.

Another object of the invention resides in the employment of means attached to the hand-hole plate for suspending the same away from thehand-hole when the plate is removed from the opening, hooks, rods, chains, or other devices being employed in this connection.

With these objects in view the invention consists, iirst, in'the novel construction of the plate proper with its attached parts ,I sec- Seral Nol673,738. (No model.)

ond, in the novel construction and arrangement of a removable yoke in connection with the plate, which yoke cooperates with means 5o lfor locking said plate in position; third, in the novel means employed for supporting or suspending the plate Within the boiler or vessel When the same is not in position in the opening, and, finally, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, andv combination of the several parts, all as will hereinafter be fully described, and afterward pointed out in the claims.

VIn the drawings, A indicates a portion of a 6o boiler-plate formed with a hand-hole or open ing ct for Well-known purposes.

, B indicates the hand-hole plate, which is preferably stamped or pressed to assume the shape shown in the drawings.

C indicates a gasket which is interposed between a flange on the plateB and the boiler -plate A. By dishing the plate B, as shown,

the gasket is prevented from being crowded in;A Wardly and pressing into the opening a. Fur- 7o therrnore, the dished portion of the center plate acts practically as a support and centering device for said gasket, said dished portion iitting in the openin g ct, as shown. Again, by dishing the center plate, so that its bulge projects through the opening et, securing devices for the center plate are located in a pocket out of the path of the circulating Water.

D indicates a shank, preferably formed with a collar d, which is adapted to impinge 8o against the outer face of the bulged portion of the hand-hole plate, the inner end of said shank being upset to form a rivet-head d', which firmly secures the shankD in position l on the hand-hole plate.- As shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3, the outer end of shankD is formed with an eye which supports a lockingdevice E, pivoted thereto, said locking device being formed with cam-faces e, adapted to impinge upon and cooperate with anat face f of a yoke 9o F, said yoke straddling the hand-hole opening and partially embracing shank D.

In certain makes of boilers where the handhole openings are arranged close together it may be found necessary to cut away the sides of the yoke, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and it may also be found desirable to lighten the same by cutting away or reducing other portions ofthe yoke, as shown. In order to make the yoke removable, we slot the same, as at f', for the lateral introduction of the yoke around the shank D.

In operation the device illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is as follows: .Vhen it is desired to effect a closure, the handle E is pressed downwardly, so that its cam-faces will impinge against the yoke and draw the handhole plate outwardly to clamp the gasket C therebetween and the boiler-plate. If it is desired to gain access to the vessel through any particular hand-hole, handle E is raised to release the hand-hole plate, when the yoke may be removed and the hand-hole plate dropped inside the Vessel, where it is suspended by a hook G engaging the lower wall of opening a. This obviates the necessity of eifecting more than one opening to replace the hand-hole plate. As shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3, a bar H may be arranged in the end of handle E, whose length is greater than the diameter of opening a, whereby the hand-hole plate will besuspended in the vessel when the same is not acting as a closure for the hand-hole. A chain can be used to secure the handle E in the saine manner, if desired, said chain being connected to twohof said handles, acting as a support for bot In Fig. 4 we have shown a modified form of cam-lock in which the shank D is provided with transverse openings to receive a wedge, bearing against the cam-face f of the yoke F. In Figs. 5 and 6 we have shown a lug d on the outer end of shank D, which passes through a locking-nut I, formed with a camface, whereby when said locking-nutis turned by its handle I the hand-hole plate will be forced outwardly to effect a closure.

In Figs. 7 to 1l we have shown several forms of yokes, all of which are adapted to coperate with suitable lockiu g devices attached to the hand-hole plate, the yoke in Fig. l1 being expressly designed for use in large openings, such as manholes,where two or more lockingcams are used to effect a closure. These various forms of yokes may be either cast or pressed from a solid plate of metal, which latter operation can be effected by first punching a skeleton frame out of a large plate of metal and then iianging and dishing the frame. This stamping, dishing, and punchingmay be effected in one operation in several of the forms.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3 that should the handle E not assume a vertical position when operated to seat the hand-hole plate, but occupy a position such as shown p by dotted lines, said handle will automaticwhen the pressure inside the boiler comi presses the gasket. This is advantageous in that manual pressure is largely relied upon to properly seat the hand-hole plate, but is frequently not sufficient to seat it home. Should the gasket be compressed, the handle will drop by gravity and take up such cornpression, holding the hand-hole plate rmly to its seat when the pressure is removed from the boiler. Of course it is understood that this handle may be driven home, but this is not desirable for obvious reasons.

We would also like to state that while the dished portion of the hand-hole plate is shown as quite deep in the drawings we -do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves thereto, as a shallower depression would answer equally as well and would perhaps be preferred by some, in that yoke F could thereby be more readily removed.

We are aware that many minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of our hand-hole plate can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a hand-hole plate, of a shank extending outwardly therefrom, a yoke straddling the opening closed by said plate, said yoke being formed with an openended slot to receive the shank, and a locking-cam having a pivoted connection with the outerend of the shank and engaging the outer face of the yoke, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a hand-hole plate, of a shank riveted therein, a removable yoke formed with a slot for receiving said shank, a locking-cam pivotally mounted on said shank for engaging the yoke, and a handle on said cam which is in alinement with the slot in the yoke, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a hand-hole plate, of a shank riveted therein, a removable yoke formed with a slot for receiving said shank, a locking-cam pivotally mounted on said shank for engaging the yoke, a handle on said cam which is in alinement with the slot in the yoke, and means on said handle for supporting the plate in the absence of the yoke, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a hand-hole plate, of a shank, a removable yoke, acam pivoted to the outer end of the yoke for clamping the hand-hole plate in position, and means on the shank for suspending the plate in the vessel in the absence of the yoke, substantially. as described.

5. The combination with a hand-hole plate, of a yoke, a shank attached to the plate and IOO IIO

extending beyond the yoke, a cam for coperating with the yoke to clamp the plate in position, and means on said cam to engage the edge of the hand-hole opening in the boiler or vessel to suspend the plate in the vessel, substantially as described.

6. The combination withaJ boilerplate formed with an opening, of a hand, or man, hole plate for Closing said opening, a shank D Connected to said plate, a yoke F, a eamlock E pivotally connected to the shank, a handle for said cam, and a hook G ou said handle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I, EDWARD D. MEIER,

hereunto affix my signature, in tlie presence I5 of two witnesses, this 10th day of March, .1898.

EDWARD D. MEIER. 

